Quiet Study in the Transfiguration Classroom
The Transfiguration room was quiet, sunlight stretching across the desks as Kohane slipped into a seat near the front. She placed her bag down gently, opened the heavy textbook, and began to read carefully.
"Transformation is the branch of transfiguration that alters the physical state or being of an object. This is done by rearranging all of the molecules in the object, drawing in from the environment around us and releasing particles into the atmosphere when necessary, and manipulating them to form the thing we desire. We can usually see this physical change as the spell progresses as the target appears to morph from one object to the next. As you get more advanced, this process will be quicker, until you get to the point where you can cast the spell and see an almost instantaneous switch.
The sub-branches that fall under transformation. This year we will be focusing on general transformations - more specifically inanimate to inanimate transformations. These are the easiest types of transformations as the objects you are dealing with are typically less complex than their animate counterparts."
Kohane smiled faintly at that last line, as if she could hear the professor’s voice. She turned the page and continued.
"To start, all spells fall under one of two different classes of spells: static or dynamic. Static spells are those for which the effects are immediate and end almost instantaneously after casting. In contrast, dynamic spells are those in which you may continue affecting the target object even after casting. This distinction doesn’t play a major role in transfiguration as all transfiguration spells fall under the “static” category, but it is still an important concept to understand. All transformations that you will perform in this class and beyond will be completed within a second or two of the time you cast them. There is no way to alter the spell halfway through or make a continual morph from one object to another to another. Transfiguration spells are “one and done” spells, so to say.
Almost all transfiguration spells will require willpower. Willpower is the mental push or desire to make a spell happen that gives power to your magic and draws it out of your body. Everything - object, creature, or otherwise - has a natural willingness to exist and be what it was meant to be. This will to exist gets stronger in objects that are greater in size or complexity, as there’s more mass, or “stuff,” resisting change. The exact nature of why this is so is still being researched today. The general idea is that every object has an inertia that holds it where it is. It is nicely described by Newton’s First Law, which states “an object at rest tends to stay at rest until acted on by an outside force,” meaning that objects will resist change unless there is some outside influence, which in this case is our magic. Creatures in particular have a strong will to exist in their natural state, as they possess the added complexity of a consciousness. The entire field of transfiguration deals with overcoming that natural desire and forcing the target to become what you want it to become. As you can imagine, as the targets you are working with become larger and more conscious, the transformations become more difficult to perform and require a larger amount of willpower Five progressive images of a hot air balloon turning into a jelly fish.to overcome the will in the object. The targets we will be starting off with, however, are small, with a minimal natural resistance to change, so the required willpower won’t be too great."
Her grip on the book tightened slightly. Rearranging all the molecules… That sounded far more serious than simply changing appearances.
She read on, posture straightening as the book grew heavier.
"Up next is concentration. Where willpower is the brawn, concentration is the brains. It is the act of centering the mind in order to directly influence the world via magic. Whenever you perform a transformation, you must focus your mind on what you want your target to turn into. You must picture the target morphing, keeping in mind all the details of the resulting object, and in that way, you direct your magic to do what you want it to do. The concentration must be held until the entire transformation is completed. This is usually no more than a second or two, but even still, letting your mind wander too early in the process could result in your transformation only half completing. Transformations between objects that share fewer similarities require more concentration, as there are more changes that your magic has to complete in order to make the switch. An increase in concentration is also necessary when the resulting object is more complex. In order to determine how much concentration is necessary, and what exactly it is that you are concentrating on, you must first take a look at the two objects you are dealing with, but in general, this requires you to explore both objects with all five of your senses in addition to exploring their purposes, molecular makeup, and any other aspects that may be important. Remember, you are not just changing the outward appearance of the target, but its basic makeup as well.
You will notice as you progress through Transfiguration that the wand movements used in this area of magic are typically small, simple, and precise compared to those in, say, DADA. Wand movements in general are used to help focus, direct, and shape your magic towards a specific goal. Larger, more grandiose movements aid in projecting magic and making the spell stronger. In transfiguration, there is no need to strengthen a transformation when casting since the magic is inherently focused and controlled by the nature of the spell, hence the use of precise and concise movements. The typical movements you will see are simple taps or jabs.
“…So there’s no fixing mistakes,” Kohane murmured quietly, suddenly very aware of the responsibility.
She took a slow breath and continued into the final section she’d marked.
"It is also possible for you to embellish on the resulting object with the right concentration. This can be anything from adding a simple design on the face of a watch in the Whistle to Watch Transformation to making a rainbow quill with the Fork to Quill transformation. Essentially, if you can picture it, you can make it, but doing more than a simple color or design addition requires an intense amount of concentration in order to direct your magic to create exactly what you want."
Kohane closed the book slowly, letting the silence of the classroom settle around her.
"Transformation is the branch of transfiguration that alters the physical state or being of an object. This is done by rearranging all of the molecules in the object, drawing in from the environment around us and releasing particles into the atmosphere when necessary, and manipulating them to form the thing we desire. We can usually see this physical change as the spell progresses as the target appears to morph from one object to the next. As you get more advanced, this process will be quicker, until you get to the point where you can cast the spell and see an almost instantaneous switch.
The sub-branches that fall under transformation. This year we will be focusing on general transformations - more specifically inanimate to inanimate transformations. These are the easiest types of transformations as the objects you are dealing with are typically less complex than their animate counterparts."
Kohane smiled faintly at that last line, as if she could hear the professor’s voice. She turned the page and continued.
"To start, all spells fall under one of two different classes of spells: static or dynamic. Static spells are those for which the effects are immediate and end almost instantaneously after casting. In contrast, dynamic spells are those in which you may continue affecting the target object even after casting. This distinction doesn’t play a major role in transfiguration as all transfiguration spells fall under the “static” category, but it is still an important concept to understand. All transformations that you will perform in this class and beyond will be completed within a second or two of the time you cast them. There is no way to alter the spell halfway through or make a continual morph from one object to another to another. Transfiguration spells are “one and done” spells, so to say.
Almost all transfiguration spells will require willpower. Willpower is the mental push or desire to make a spell happen that gives power to your magic and draws it out of your body. Everything - object, creature, or otherwise - has a natural willingness to exist and be what it was meant to be. This will to exist gets stronger in objects that are greater in size or complexity, as there’s more mass, or “stuff,” resisting change. The exact nature of why this is so is still being researched today. The general idea is that every object has an inertia that holds it where it is. It is nicely described by Newton’s First Law, which states “an object at rest tends to stay at rest until acted on by an outside force,” meaning that objects will resist change unless there is some outside influence, which in this case is our magic. Creatures in particular have a strong will to exist in their natural state, as they possess the added complexity of a consciousness. The entire field of transfiguration deals with overcoming that natural desire and forcing the target to become what you want it to become. As you can imagine, as the targets you are working with become larger and more conscious, the transformations become more difficult to perform and require a larger amount of willpower Five progressive images of a hot air balloon turning into a jelly fish.to overcome the will in the object. The targets we will be starting off with, however, are small, with a minimal natural resistance to change, so the required willpower won’t be too great."
Her grip on the book tightened slightly. Rearranging all the molecules… That sounded far more serious than simply changing appearances.
She read on, posture straightening as the book grew heavier.
"Up next is concentration. Where willpower is the brawn, concentration is the brains. It is the act of centering the mind in order to directly influence the world via magic. Whenever you perform a transformation, you must focus your mind on what you want your target to turn into. You must picture the target morphing, keeping in mind all the details of the resulting object, and in that way, you direct your magic to do what you want it to do. The concentration must be held until the entire transformation is completed. This is usually no more than a second or two, but even still, letting your mind wander too early in the process could result in your transformation only half completing. Transformations between objects that share fewer similarities require more concentration, as there are more changes that your magic has to complete in order to make the switch. An increase in concentration is also necessary when the resulting object is more complex. In order to determine how much concentration is necessary, and what exactly it is that you are concentrating on, you must first take a look at the two objects you are dealing with, but in general, this requires you to explore both objects with all five of your senses in addition to exploring their purposes, molecular makeup, and any other aspects that may be important. Remember, you are not just changing the outward appearance of the target, but its basic makeup as well.
You will notice as you progress through Transfiguration that the wand movements used in this area of magic are typically small, simple, and precise compared to those in, say, DADA. Wand movements in general are used to help focus, direct, and shape your magic towards a specific goal. Larger, more grandiose movements aid in projecting magic and making the spell stronger. In transfiguration, there is no need to strengthen a transformation when casting since the magic is inherently focused and controlled by the nature of the spell, hence the use of precise and concise movements. The typical movements you will see are simple taps or jabs.
“…So there’s no fixing mistakes,” Kohane murmured quietly, suddenly very aware of the responsibility.
She took a slow breath and continued into the final section she’d marked.
"It is also possible for you to embellish on the resulting object with the right concentration. This can be anything from adding a simple design on the face of a watch in the Whistle to Watch Transformation to making a rainbow quill with the Fork to Quill transformation. Essentially, if you can picture it, you can make it, but doing more than a simple color or design addition requires an intense amount of concentration in order to direct your magic to create exactly what you want."
Kohane closed the book slowly, letting the silence of the classroom settle around her.